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The Association Between Child Autism Symptomatology, Maternal Quality of Life, and Risk for Depression

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Abstract

Parents raising children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been shown to experience high levels of stress and report a lower quality of life. The current study examined the association between child autism symptomatology, mother’s quality of life, and mother’s risk for depression in a sample of 1,110 mothers recruited from a web-based registry of families with children with an ASD. Higher autism symptomatology and a greater number of co-occurring psychiatric disorders in the child were associated with an increased risk for current treatment of maternal depression and a lower maternal quality of life. The results highlight the importance of screening for depression, particularly in mothers of children with ASD and mental health and behavioral challenges.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Autism Speaks (to P. Law).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Benjamin Zablotsky

  2. Towson University, Towson, MD, USA

    Connie Anderson

  3. Medical Informatics Department, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Paul Law

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Paul Law

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  1. Benjamin Zablotsky
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  2. Connie Anderson
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Correspondence to Benjamin Zablotsky.

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Zablotsky, B., Anderson, C. & Law, P. The Association Between Child Autism Symptomatology, Maternal Quality of Life, and Risk for Depression. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 1946–1955 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1745-z

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